Cockney

A Cockney, in the loosest sense of the word, is a working-class inhabitant of the East End of London. But according to tradition, the strict definition is limited to those born within earshot (generally taken to be three miles) of the Bow bells, in other words the bells of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside. However, the bells were silent from the outbreak of World War II until 1961. Also, of course, as the general din in London has increased, the area in which the bells can be heard has contracted. Formerly it included the City, Bethnal Green, Stepney, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Finsbury, and Hackney although according to the legend of Dick Whittington the bells could be heard as far away as from Highgate.

Famous Cockney performances

• Ronnie Barker as 'Fletch' in the TV comedy series Porridge
• John Thaw as Regan in the TV police drama The Sweeney
• Dick Van Dyke's famously bad attempt at a cockney accent in Mary Poppins
• Don Cheadle in Ocean's Eleven (2001)
• The Orcs/Orks in Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000
• Kathy Burke as 'Linda LaHughes' in comedy series Gimme Gimme Gimme
• Warren Mitchell as Alf Garnett in Til Death Us Do Part
• Lee Ingleby as Stan Shunpike in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban